


When they let you down, the morning rolls around

by PrettyCalypso



Series: Prompts [10]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: AU, Fake Relationship, M/M, and I'll add more tags later because I'm too lazy right now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-10
Updated: 2017-05-16
Packaged: 2018-10-30 09:37:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10874082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrettyCalypso/pseuds/PrettyCalypso
Summary: Based on this prompt: “Ian wants to adopt a baby but his boyfriend has broke up with him 2 weeks before the arrival of the social worker who has to make an interview to them before the baby's arrival. So he asks to his neighbor Mickey to do his fake future husband. For how long will he be a fake husband?”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been wanting to write a fake relationship fic for a while now, so thank you so much whoever sent me that prompt! I even decided to make it a multichap! ;)

 

“Are you fucking kidding me???” Ian yelled, throwing the first object his hand could find at the man standing emotionless in front of him.

 

The object turned out to be the TV remote, and the man dodged it easily. Ian wasn't usually one to throw things at people, and especially not at his boyfriend, he wasn't usually one for domestic violence, but at this very momenthe was pissed, and sad, and angry, and devastated, all at the same time. True, it didn't excuse the violence. But still. Fuck Adrian, he deserved all the TV remotes Ian could throw at him right now.

 

“You're just gonna stand here and tell me don't love me anymore? Just like that? _I don't love you anymore._ How does it even work? Yesterday you were all over me, we were planning our fucking wedding, and today you don't love me anymore?”

 

Adrian shrugged.

 

“I'm sorry Ian, it's true. And it's not news, I've been feeling this way for a while now.”

 

“And you didn't think a heads-up would have been nice?!”

 

The man shrugged again, giving Ian a small apologetic smile. This time it was a pillow the redhead threw at him.

 

“Get the fuck out!”

 

Adrian nodded, grabbing the bag he had already packed that was waiting for him near the door, and exited their apartment. Ian followed him into the hallway, just so he could shout a little more.

 

“You're a fucking asshole Adrian! You don't fucking deserve me! And your dick is fucking tiny!!!”

 

Ian heard the front door of the building slam shut two floors down, and then someone snicker next to him. The redhead turned to glare at his neighbor, standing near his own apartment door, with a trash bag in his hand, and a smirk on his lips.

 

“Trouble in paradise, huh?” the guy laughed.

 

Ian just shook his head. He gave his neighbor a dirty look before stepping back inside his apartment, closing the door behind himself.

 

“Fuck.” he muttered, letting his body slide against the wall until he was sitting on the floor with his head between his legs.

 

Six years. He had spent six years of his life with Adrian. They were getting married, they wanted to start a family, and they were about to put this offer down on a house in the suburb. Ian's next twenty years of his life were all planned out. Until Adrian decided he didn't love him anymore. How was that even a thing?

 

Ian wasn't working that day, but he quickly realized he wouldn't have minded going to work. To his surprise, he didn't want to eat his feelings away, or spend the day in bed. And after the first couple of hours of throwing away all of Adrian's stuff, the redhead understood that maybe he wasn't sad. He was angry at Adrian for doing that to him. He was disappointed to be single again at 27 years old and have to do the whole relationship shebang with someone new all over again. But he wasn't actually sad. If anything, he was upset he had wasted all those years with Adrian. And maybe, just maybe, the other man was right, love had been out of the picture for a while now. Ian sat on his couch for a long time, still holding the last of Adrian's ugly college sweater he wanted to get rid of, and thinking about these past few years. It had been routine and nothing else. Working, fucking, a little bit of “planning their future together”, Gallagher family dinner every Friday night, Jones family brunch every Sunday morning, and date night every other Saturday. It was safe, familiar, and... boring. Deeply and utterly boring. To be honest, the only moments Ian had been looking for every week, for at least two – if not three years now – were the Gallagher family dinners, because they were always messy, and loud, and fun, and unpredictable, exactly what Ian had grown up with, and exactly what he didn't have with Adrian.

 

When the sun started to set through the window, the redhead looked at his watch, and made a decision. He was going out. He shoved the rest of Adrian's stuff in a large trash bag, and changed his clothes into something nice and sexy, before closing his apartment door and looking for the first club he could find. He had been out of the gay socialite scene for a while now, so he didn't know what the good places were anymore, but he quickly found this okay-looking club with neon lights reflecting onto the sidewalk, only a couple of blocks away from his house. Considering it was a Monday night, there was absolutely no line, and Ian walked in easily. He presented his ID to the bouncer at the entrance, while trying to sneak a peek inside.

 

“Trying to drown your break-up in alcohol and loud music I see.”

 

The voice made Ian jump and he finally looked at the bouncer who was smiling maliciously at him. The redhead immediately recognized his neighbor who had seen him shout at Adrian in the hallway that morning.

 

“Hey! I didn't know you work here.” the redhead said as a way of greeting.

 

“Well it's not like we actually talk when we pass each other in the hallway.” the neighbor answered. “Plus I've never seen you here before, so...”

 

“Yeah,” Ian sighed. “Adrian hated clubs.”

 

More memories of dull nights with his ex-boyfriend came to mind, and Ian shook his head, coming back to his neighbor. Something wasn't quite adding up with this guy.

 

“This is a gay club, right?”

 

“Do you know a lot of straight clubs called Le Cud?” Ian's neighbor scoffed.

 

Ian emitted a small chuckle, no he couldn't say he did.

 

“So,” he added, hesitantly. “Are you gay too?”

 

“Seriously?” the neighbor smiled.

 

“I just didn't...” Ian stuttered. “I honestly couldn't have guessed!”

 

The neighbor laughed and handed his ID back to Ian.

 

“It's fine. Just... go in.”

 

The redhead nodded, and took a few steps before turning back to his neighbor.

 

“I'm sorry, but I don't think I know your name.”

 

“Mickey.” the neighbor smiled.

 

“Ian.” the redhead answered, before he waved shyly and fully walked into the club.

 

********

 

Ian woke up the next morning to sun rays piercing through his eyelids and a hand landing flat on his face. He opened his eyes slowly, and took the hand off carefully, only to notice a naked body sleeping next to his own naked body. A man he could absolutely not remember the name of was in his bed.

 

“Shit.” the redhead cursed under his breath.

 

He sat on the bed and rubbed his eyes, now realizing he also had a strong headache, first sign of a massive hungover. He sighed deeply and swung his legs off the bed, grabbing his pants on the floor to retrieve his phone from one of the pockets. Of course the device's battery was dead. The redhead went through the first drawer of his bedside table until he found his phone charger, and plugged it in the outlet at the foot of his bed. While the piece of electronic lit up, Ian looked at his watch, still attached to his wrist. He only had an hour before he had to be at work.

 

“Shit.” he repeated.

 

He hesitated for a few seconds, before he shook awake the man in his bed.

 

“Hey.” the guy groaned, opening his eyes with a smile.

 

“Hi.” Ian greeted him back. “I'm sorry, but I have to get ready to go to work.”

 

The guy stood up and smiled again.

 

“Say no more. I'm leaving.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

Ian threw on a pair of sweatpants while the guy put his clothes back on, and then walked him out of his apartment. Luckily, this stranger seemed quite nice, and not at all offended by the fact that Ian couldn't remember his name and was kicking him out without even asking for his number.

 

“Well, it was nice to meet you Red.” the guy said once they were in the hallway. “See you around!”

 

Ian sent a vague hand gesture his way, and turned around to be met by a smirking Mickey once more. This time, Ian's neighbor was closing his door and looking like he was about to go out.

 

“I see you found yourself a hot rebound guy. Or was it just a one night thing?”

 

“Shut up.” Ian replied without bite, rubbing his temples with the tip of his fingers.

 

“Hangover, huh?” Mickey smiled. “I'm not surprised, considering how hammered you were when you left the club last night.”

 

“And you let people that drunk out in the street arm-in-arm with a stranger?” Ian teased.

 

“Aye, not my problem once they leave the building.” Mickey shrugged.

 

“You're irresponsible.”

 

“And you need a strong coffee.”

 

Ian gave his neighbor the finger before walking back into his apartment, hearing the man chuckle in the hallway.

 

********

 

That was the longest day at work he had ever had to live, Ian thought as he threw himself onto his couch. He had drank coffee after coffee, popping a few headache pills once in a while, and did his overall best to look healthy and competent. Thank god nothing major had happened, and he didn't have to leave the station. He did promised himself though to never, _ever again_ , come to work hangover, this was just dangerous and irresponsible.

 

He was about to fall asleep on the couch when his phone started to buzz in his jeans' pocket. He grabbed it and looked at the screen. _Unknown caller._ He threw the device on the coffee table and let it ring. It was probably a commercial call, and he didn't have the energy right now. And, indeed, barely two minutes later he was falling asleep.

 

He woke up after a few hours, his stomach asking for food. He made his way to the kitchen, taking his phone back in the process, and checking his incoming voice message.

 

“Hello, Mr Gallagher.” a woman's voice spoke through the speakers. “This is Agatha Kordel, from the adoption agency. We have a home interview scheduled next Saturday, and I wanted to make sure we were still on for that. Please call me back to confirm.”

 

Ian dropped the plastic box he had been holding.

 

“Holy shit.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't invent the name of the club, it's a real club in Paris I came across the other day, and no, “cud” doesn't have another hidden meaning in French.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I proofread this chapter very quickly, so I apologize for any mistake you may find.  
> And if someone is interested to beta the next chapters of this fic, please let me know here, or on Tumblr. :)

 

Ian had totally forgotten the appointment with the social worker from the adoption agency. Scratch that, he had totally forgotten Adrian and him had filed for adoption. They had started the procedure over a year ago, but couldn't get anywhere without being married, so they had started to plan a wedding, and about a month ago the agency had called to plan a home interview, which Ian, with yesterday's events, had totally forgotten about. He needed to call the agency to cancel everything, and to call Adrian to remind him he had to do that. Ian sighed at the perspective of these two tasks, and decided: tomorrow. It was too late now anyway, the offices would be closed.

 

As he ate his weak PB&J sandwich and the leftover salad he had found in the fridge, Ian thought about the adoption. It had been his idea, Adrian had claimed for years that he didn't want kids, but after a while Ian had managed to make him change his mind. The redhead remembered going through the pamphlets and the agency websites, dreaming about his future child. And now his dream was buried deep, and he had to do it all over again: meet a guy, date a guy, settle in a stable relationship, and then only start to talk about kids. Fuck Adrian, he had fucked up Ian's white picket fence family dream! But, on the other hand, maybe it was better they had broken up now, before having a child and fucking up this poor kid's life with a broken family.

 

Ian thought about it all night, and he woke up from the few hours he had been sleeping with a new plan for his life: fuck Adrian, and fuck a new relationship, he would adopt a child on his own. He had wanted to be a father for so long, maybe it was time, and maybe he didn't need to have a husband to do it. So he quickly dialed Agatha's number before going to work.

 

“Mr Gallagher.” the woman answered cheerfully. “I'm happy to hear from you. How are you?”

 

“I'm good Agatha. What about you?”

 

“I'm fine. Are you calling to confirm your interview?”

 

“I am indeed. I just wanted to change a minor detail: is it okay if I do it on my own?”

 

“Oh.” the woman deflated. “I'm sorry, but no, we need both parents present.”

 

“Okay.” Ian answered. “But would it be possible for a single parent to adopt?”

 

“It would be an entirely other procedure, you'd have to start from the beginning.” Agatha explained with a little worry in her voice. “And let me be honest: a single man adopting a kid, it's very, very unlikely to work. In ten years working for this agency, I've never seen it happen. I know it's gonna sound terrible, but a single man, especially homosexual, is more likely to be suspected of perversion and pedophilia. If it were up to me, this discrimination wouldn't exist, but unfortunately it's not.”

 

Ian didn't even think before he spoke his next sentence (and used the lamest excuse known to mankind):

 

“Don't worry, I was just asking for a friend, of course Adrian will be there for our interview.”

 

“Great.” Agatha said, sounding relieved. “See you next Saturday then.”

 

Ian said his goodbyes and hung up the phone, before realizing what he had just done. Not only he had decided to go through with this adoption idea, but he had also promised Adrian's presence and co-parenting. Shit, he was fucked.

 

********

 

Ian tried to call and text his ex-boyfriend numerous times during the following week, but never received any answer. And he had absolutely no idea where the other man was living now, nor did he want to go knock on his parents' door. That was how, three days before the interview, the redhead found himself in _Le Cud_ again, this time only drinking, and trying to find a solution to his massive problem. He was sipping his second beer at the bar when someone sat on the stool next to him.

 

“Still drinking your break-up away?”

 

Ian turned his head to face Mickey, looking at him with a smile.

 

“You're not working?”

 

“Just finished my shift. And I saw you mulling over here, so I thought I'd keep you company. I have nothing better to do anyway.”

 

“Thanks.” Ian snickered. “But for your information, I'm over my break-up.”

 

“Really?” Mickey asked, surprised. “Haven't you guys been together for years or some shit?”

 

“We were.” Ian replied. “But I guess we've been over for longer than I thought...”

 

Mickey nodded and gestured to the bartender for a drink.

 

“So what are you doing here then?”

 

“Trying to find a way to get myself out of a pretty shitty situation I buried myself in.”

 

“Tell me more.”

 

Ian glared at Mickey again to find him looking actually interested. So the redhead took a deep breath and told him the whole story.

 

“Raising a kid by yourself is pretty ballsy if you ask me.” Mickey said once Ian was done. “And pretty stupid. I don't understand why people even want kids.”

 

“Because they're cute and adorable, and it's a basic human instinct to want to reproduce.”

 

“Reproduce I get that, it's the fun part. What's coming in the next eighteen years is less fun.”

 

Ian smiled. Mickey was a pretty nice guy, with good comebacks and a _'I don't give a fuck'_ attitude that Ian found weirdly attractive. Plus, he had very beautiful blue eyes, and a quite good-looking body, just out of Ian's boundaries, not his usual type. But the redhead shook his head, bringing his mind back to the very pressing problem he had to deal with at the moment.

 

“You could hire an actor.” Mickey suddenly suggested. “Pay a guy to pretend to be your ex for the interview.”

 

“I don't think I would be comfortable with that.” Ian confessed. “Plus it's gotta be expensive, right?”

 

“I guess,” Mickey shrugged. “Never had to do that before.”

 

Ian chuckled. Yeah, it was a very unique shitty situation. He swallowed the rest of his beer, and Mickey payed for another round. About five drinks later, Ian's neighbor was placing a soft hand on his shoulder.

 

“I could do it.” he said. “I could pretend to be your ex for a day. So you can have your kid and suffer for the next eighteen years of your life.”

 

********

 

Ian woke up on his couch the next morning, the events of last night coming back immediately to his mind. He jumped on his feet, and crossed the hall to knock on Mickey's door. The man answered quickly enough, his hair tousled on his head and his eyes still heavy with sleep.

 

“Did you mean it?” Ian asked. “You would play my boyfriend for the adoption interview?”

 

“I guess I did.” Mickey answered with a yawn.

 

“And you're gonna do it?”

 

“Sure. Why not?”

 

Ian could have hugged Mickey in that moment, but he also felt like the other man wasn't a fan of this kind of display of affection. So he just smiled.

 

“Thank you.”

 

Mickey just nodded in acknowledgment.

 

“Come to my place Saturday morning so we can discuss the details.” Ian added before going back into his apartment and getting ready for his day of work, incapable of erasing the smile off his face.

 

This idea might have been the stupidest thing he had ever done, but he was unexpectedly excited about it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the “getting over the break-up” and “choosing to have a baby alone” were fast, but it was easier if I wanted to respect the prompt.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave kudos and/or comments. And you can also come talk and share with me on my [tumblr](http://ilostmylifeonline.tumblr.com/), it's always appreciated. :)


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